Catrain Fischbach
Queen Catrain Fischbach (nee Bald; 783-837) was a Human woman and the Queen consort of Geoffrey Fischbach III of Cartham, ruling from 820 until her death. She was the mother of eleven children, only six of which survived into adulthood. Biography Early life Catrain Bald was born in 783, and married to Geoffrey in 805. Her husband was the son of a prostitute, but claimed to be the son of a king. In 820, King Geoffrey Fischbach II deserted the throne, leaving the Royal Council scrambling to find an heir. Catrain's own husband, the eldest bastard son of the king and the prostitute Mary Gringel, was legitimized and ascended his father's throne with Catrain as his queen consort. Queen consort In 807, Catrain gave birth to the first of her children, Prince Frederick Fischbach. Three more successful births would follow; three daughters named Anne, Amelia, and Catrain. However, following these births, Catrain and Geoffrey would have trouble where childbirth was concerned. In the nearly thirty years following Prince Frederick's birth, Catrain suffered several pregnancies, miscarriages, and stillbirths. While at first, her husband comforted Catrain in her grief, the multitude of stillbirths, miscarriages, and dead children eventually caused Geoffrey to become suspicious. He accused her of having been unfaithful, and claimed that the dead children had been bastards. Catrain was confined to the tallest tower in the Royal Castle, and Geoffrey decreed that two priestesses would sleep in Catrain's bed every night, to ensure she would remain faithful. The death of Prince Geoffrey in 834 shifted Geoffrey's suspicions to others. He first blamed Geoffrey's wet nurse, and had her beheaded in a black rage. He later became convinced that Geoffrey had been poisoned by his mistress, and had the girl and her family tortured to death. Geoffrey then fasted for a fortnight, made a walk of repentance across the city to the Great Temple of Gloriana, and prayed with a high priestess. Upon his return, he declared he would only sleep with Catrain, his wife, from that day forth. As far as is known, Geoffrey kept his word, no longer taking any mistresses from 835 onward. In 836, Catrain gave birth to Prince Asher. While he was small and robust, he was healthy. However, Geoffrey feared that Asher would die like his siblings, and so tasked the Crownguard with watching over the infant. Even Catrain was forbidden to be alone with her son. Geoffrey insisted his own food taster suckle at the breasts of Asher's wet nurse, to be certain that there was no poison on her nipples. In the later years of the marriage of Geoffrey and Catrain, the Mad King's insanity set in. Catrain did her best to protect her children from the worst of Geoffrey's excesses, keeping her children oblivious to the fact that their father was slipping deeper into madness. Geoffrey grew sexually abusive of Catrain, sleeping with her after executing those he considered traitors by burning them alive. Arnora Bjergen recalled listening outside Catrain's bedchamber as she cried as the king raped her; when Arnora protested that the Royal Guard was sworn to defend the queen as well, she was told "we are, but not from him". The queen's maids reported seeing scratches, bruises, and bite marks all over her body. Catrain died in 837 due to her husband's abuse. Personality and traits Catrain was said to have always been mindful of her duty. Etymology Catrain is a form of Katherine, derived from the Greek name "Aikaterine". The etymology is debated; it could derive from the earlier Greek name "Hekaterine", which derived from "hekateros", meaning "each of the two"; it could also derive from the name of the goddess Hecate, the goddess associated with witchcraft, crossroads, tombs, demons, and the underworld; it could be related to Greek "aikia", meaning "torture"; or it could be derived from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era, it became associated with "katharos", meaning "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from "Katarina" to "Katharina" to reflect this. Bald may be derived from the Germanic personal name "Baldo". It may also be a short form of various compound names such as "Baldwin", formed with the first element, "bald", meaning "bold, strong". Fischbach is a habitional name from a place called Fischbach, or a topographic name for someone living by a stream, "bach", noted for its fish "visch".Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Humans Category:Royal Family of Cartham Category:Queens Category:Married Individuals Category:Deceased Individuals